


A Good Burn

by round_robin



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Blow Jobs, King/Servant - Freeform, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Oral Sex, Power Imbalance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 19:42:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15669999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/round_robin/pseuds/round_robin
Summary: Gaius handed him a small bottle. “This is a salve for Uther. He has an old war injury that always acts up in heavy rain. It causes him quite a lot of discomfort. You are to apply it for him—” Merlin opened his mouth to protest and Gaius continued explaining over his cries “—it burns something fierce and it is difficult for a patient to apply it on their own.”“Oh great, so you'll burn my hand, not Uther's?”Gaius took a deep breath and closed his eyes, it's what he did when he needed to keep himself from smacking Merlin upside the head. “The burn is fleeting. It quickly gives way to a more pleasant warming sensation. Your hand will be fine. Now off you go.”





	A Good Burn

**Author's Note:**

> This is apparently what I do now: I start a new show, I look for fic, and when I don't find the exact fic I want, I write it. I don't foresee myself doing more Merlin stuff, this is just an idea that would not leave my head until i wrote it down. Also, Buffy was my first fandom, any excuse to get Giles some action.
> 
> My spell checker doesn't like any of the names from this show, so if you see a typo, please let me know in the comments. Dubcon if you squint (or consider any sort of power imbalance dubious, which is not incorrect). Enjoy.

Merlin spent the last hour rushing around Gaius' chambers and the hallway outside, moving furniture and placing buckets under the seemingly infinite leaks sprouting from the roof. Damn this weather, damn the old castle and its old roof, badly in need of repairs.

No sooner had he placed the last bucket and collapsed into a chair when Gaius shouted his name: “Merlin! I have an errand for you!”

Merlin groaned, allowing himself a moment of self pity before standing up again and facing the old man. “Yes, Gaius, what is it?”

Gaius appeared from the store room and handed him a small bottle. “This is a salve for Uther. He has an old war injury that always acts up in heavy rain. It causes him quite a lot of discomfort. You are to apply it for him—” Merlin opened his mouth to protest and Gaius continued explaining over his cries “—it burns something fierce and it is difficult for a patient to apply it on their own.”

“Oh great, so you'll burn my hand, not Uther's?”

Gaius took a deep breath and closed his eyes, it's what he did when he needed to keep himself from smacking Merlin upside the head. “The burn is fleeting. It quickly gives way to a more pleasant warming sensation. Your hand will be fine. If you've any left after treating Uther's knee, I'll use the rest on your back. I know it probably hurts from all the rain buckets you've been carrying. Now off you go.”

Retreating back into the lab, Gaius seemed to be done with the matter. Merlin sighed to himself and headed back out into the corridor. He eyed one of the buckets he placed less than ten minutes ago and was a little pleased to see it was only a quarter full. He'd have to change them on his way back in before finally retiring to bed. Damn storm. Damn Uther and his war injuries.

“Medicine for the King,” he muttered to the sleepy guard outside Uther's chambers. With a nod of rote permission, the guard opened the door and Merlin popped his head inside the King's chambers. “Evening, sire, I have a salve for you. From Gaius. For your knee.”

A crackling fire illuminated the room, all other candles extinguished. Uther sat in front of the hearth, dressed only in a nightshirt, his bare knee peeking out from under the fur blanket covering his lap, holding the chill of the night at bay. Even in his state of undress, one bared leg out to better feel the warmth of the fire, Uther still looked like a king. Merlin always wondered how he did that. Was it the way he held himself? Spine ever straight and rigid, ready to jump into combat at a moment's notice? Or was it simply the title: King Uther Pendragon. With such a weighty name, how could he look like anything other than a king?

Uther nodded. “Enter.”

Merlin scurried inside and closed the door behind him to keep out the draft of the corridor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two buckets, one by each of Uther's windows, collecting the rain water that dripped in from the loose panes. Somehow, it made him feel better to know Uther's chambers were not spared from the misery of the old castle and its aging roof and windows. He suffered like his servants.

“Gaius gave me instructions to apply it for you, sire. I'm afraid it burns a bit.”

Tired eyes closed for a moment before opening. “Yes, I imaging it's the same blasted salve Gaius usually uses for me during wretched weather. Well, have at it.” With a wince, Uther uncovered his leg a little more, giving Merlin access to the area he needed to treat.

Quite used to sitting on the floor to pull Arthur's boots off, Merlin settled next to Uther's chair and uncorked the bottle. The smooth cream made his fingertips tingle the second it made contact with his skin. He began to rub it into the aching joint of Uther's knee and the tingle quickly turned to a burn, then to all out fire. Merlin felt as if he were being burnt and couldn't help the whimper that came out of his mouth.

Uther managed to hold out for another few seconds before his resolve broke. A hand, strong as iron, shot out and gripped tight to Merlin's shoulder, squeezing through the pain. Merlin only wished he had a similar outlet, but he just had to grit his teeth and take it. Uther grit his teeth as well, gripping Merlin's shoulder tighter and tighter until Merlin felt tears welling in his eyes.

Just when it felt he couldn't bare it any longer, the burn disappeared, replaced by a warming sensation. Merlin and Uther both breathed a sigh of relief. Uther released Merlin's shoulder and sank back in his chair a little. “Apologies,” he sighed. “That vile brew of Gaius' is always terrible at the start. But it helps.”

They sat in silence as Merlin spread more of the salve across Uther's knee, calf and thigh. He wasn't sure where exactly the pain was most concentrated and took to following the scar tissue crossing Uther's leg. The salve burned a little before cooling again, but never as bad as those first moments. Uther returned his hand to Merlin's shoulder, his thumb gently rubbing the joint he so abused in his quest for relief. Merlin wasn't sure if Uther knew he was doing it, and said nothing, the last thing he needed was to annoy the King and spend a night in the dungeon. He imagined it was ten time worse than the drips of water currently pouring into his chambers.

When he'd covered every last scar with the warming salve, Merlin finally met Uther's gaze. It was always heavy, the stare of a king, so he tried not to look at the man directly. Arthur's eyes were softer, friendlier. “Is there anything else you need, sire?”

“Yes,” the word emerged from Uther's lips reluctantly and he didn't follow it with a new command. Merlin sat and waited. He hadn't been dismissed yet, so he could not leave.

After another moment of thought, Uther shifted in his chair, pulling the blanket back a little more. “My hip as well, if you don't mind.”

“Yes, sire.”

Thankfully, Uther pulled back his own night shirt, so Merlin didn't have to figure out how to _respectfully_ undress the King.

The skin here wasn't scared like Uther's knee. In fact, it was lovely and smooth. Merlin didn't imagine age treated any parts of the body well, yet in front of his own eyes, he saw Uther's flank looked as young and supple as a man half his age. While he tried not to look (not to stare at the King who could easily have him executed) he had to see where he was working. Uther didn't seem to mind...

As the salve's burn gave away again to the pleasant warming, Uther relaxed a little more with each touch. His shoulders weren't as rigid, his eyes closed and lips parted in a soft sigh of relief. For a moment, Merlin smiled to himself, content in the knowledge he eased the King's pain. Uther might be a tyrant sometimes, too stubborn and set in his own ways, but he was still a person and it was part of Merlin's job to treat the ailments of the people in this castle. By the look on Uther's face, he'd done his job, and there was a satisfaction in that.

Uther shifted again in the chair and the blanket moved with him. What Merlin thought was a fold in the blanket did not move. A strong, hard line right over the King's groin twitched up a little, moving the blanket.

Understanding slammed into Merlin and he removed his hands. Face flashing bright red, he ducked his head and started putting away the salve. “If that'll be all, sire, I should—”

Uther caught his hand, pulling him back until they were face to face. Merlin's red cheeks and watery eyes looked up at Uther, his own face flushed with... quite a different feeling.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Uther didn't explain why he held onto Merlin, he didn't have to, he was the King. But as the seconds got longer and longer, an explanation became more necessary. Finally, Uther's grip on Merlin's wrist loosened, but did not let go. “Again, my apologies.” Gray blue eyes searched Merlin's face, lingering on his lips. “If you'd indulge me, I would be... forever grateful.”

Merlin knew what Uther was asking, how could he not? His eyes flicked down to his own hands, still shiny with the salve, and in a last ditch protest, he nodded to his fingers. “The salve, sire. I can't—”

One of Uther's calloused fingers traced his lips. “There are... other ways. Please. Merlin. Please?”

Well, there was something Merlin never thought he'd hear. From the lips of the King, begging... for his lips.

His neck and face burning with embarrassment, Merlin nodded. What else could he do? While he seemed tired and kind now, Uther had a frightful temper, one Merlin had been on the wrong side of many a time. He did not want to catch his death standing in the stocks in the rain.

“Thank you,” Uther whispered. He threw aside the blanket and hitched up his night shirt, giving Merlin an eyeful of what had previously been hidden safely away.

The few times he'd seen Arthur naked—helping him dress, drawing a bath—Merlin studiously kept his eyes away from Arthur's lower half. Still, there was only so much a monarch could hide from a close servant and he'd seen more than he wanted. Part of him hoped the familial resemblance between Uther and Arthur continued below the belt... and was a little shocked and excited to see that it did not. The cock in front of him was nothing short of glorious; thick, not overly long but long enough, with a heavy blue vein running down the side. It pulsed with Uther's heartbeat and Merlin couldn't look away. If kings were chosen on cock alone, Uther would rule every kingdom he set foot in.

“Right, uh,” maneuvering in front of Uther's chair, Merlin stopped himself from reaching out to grab the offered cock. “Uh, my hands, sire, the salve. Could you, uh...”

Without a word, Uther wrapped one hand around the base of his cock. He didn't stroke, he just steadied it, offering it for Merlin's lips. Mouth suddenly dry, Merlin swallowed a few times and licked his lips before opening his mouth and leaning forward.

The plump head was almost as formidable as the whole, so Merlin decided to take it slow. He sucked and licked at the head, earning a deep, rumbling moan from Uther's chest. “Yes...” Uther hissed. His free hand reached out and Merlin almost twitched away, surely, a king, used to having his way would force him to take more, far more than he was ready—

Instead of forcing him down, Uther merely gripped Merlin's shoulder, the same shoulder he abused moments before. This time, his thumb rubbed a small, encouraging circle into Merlin's slightly bruised skin, almost like he was _apologizing_ for the pain he cause earlier. The soft, almost tender gesture put Merlin's mind at ease. He spent another moment rolling the King's plump cock head between his lips before taking more, sliding down another inch or so.

Uther moaned again, a little louder this time. Merlin took that as encouragement and continued what he was doing—he lashed his tongue along Uther's shaft, pulling off every once and a while to lave the head with his tongue, only to take a little more with each push.

It didn't take too long for the formidable girth to go from a challenge to an outright obstacle. When Merlin found he could take no more, there was still a few inches' space between his mouth and Uther's hand. Well, it would have to do. Pushing the head into his soft pallet, he swept his tongue across the underside of Uther's cock, faster and faster, pulling more moans and groans from the King's lips.

“Yes, yes, yes...” Uther chanted. Suddenly, his grip on Merlin's shoulder tightened. “Stop.”

No wanting to offend, Merlin pulled back as soon as he was told. He watched, eyes wide, as Uther came. And came, and came. Ropes of come shot gracefully from the tip, covering his hand and nightshirt. With one last great sigh, Uther collapsed back into his chair.

Merlin didn't know what to do now. Here he was, kneeling on the floor in front of a spent, glassy-eyed king, waiting for instruction. Was he to help Uther into bed? Did he need to fetch a damp cloth? No commands came, just heavy breaths that soon slowed.

Uther seemed to come back to himself and sat up a little. He replaced his nightshirt and nodded to Merlin. “You may go. I can take care of the rest.”

“Thank you, sire.” Not needing to be told twice, Merlin scrambled to his feet and towards the door.

“Merlin,” Uther called him back.

Halfway out in the corridor, Merlin looked back and saw a small smile pulling at the King's lips. “Yes, sire?”

“I shall not forget this favor.”

He nodded. “Thank you, sire, sleep well.” He rushed out before Uther could call him back again, back to his rain-soaked chambers. He crawled into his own bed and closed his eyes, the image of that royal cock burned into the back of his retinas.

 

~

 

Some weeks later, Merlin stood in front of Uther, trying to make excuses for Arthur. And as usual, he was to pretend it was his fault Arthur missed a review of the guard, not a night's drinking with said guard. He hadn't been in the stocks for weeks, and he'd just managed to get the tomato stains out of his favorite shirt...

Uther paced back and forth, eyeing Merlin. He ducked his head, ready for the King to command he be taken to the stocks for the day.

Uther suddenly stopped pacing, his eyes tracing over Merlin from head to toe. He shook his head. “Off with you. Whatever story Arthur's sent you to sell, it doesn't matter, off with you.”

Merlin's eyes shot open. He couldn't believe his luck. “Yes, sire, thank you!” He ran from the hall as fast as his feet could carry him. Right as he closed the door behind him, he saw that same small smile cross Uther's lips.

Ah, maybe the King really didn't forget his favors.

The End

 


End file.
